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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/30063834">Just Stay</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/schmico_shenanigans/pseuds/schmico_shenanigans'>schmico_shenanigans</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Grey's Anatomy</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Boys In Love, Complicated Relationships, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, M/M</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2021-03-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2021-03-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-15 17:42:52</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>1,410</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/30063834</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/schmico_shenanigans/pseuds/schmico_shenanigans</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>set after the on-call room scene at the end of 17x07<br/>sorry for writing yet another fic about this episode it just has so much potential</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Nico Kim &amp; Levi Schmitt, Nico Kim/Levi Schmitt</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>7</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Just Stay</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Quiet had settled over the room. The whole world, it seemed, was silent. There was no sound of hustle and bustle outside the room. It seemed as if the world had simply been frozen in time. Levi was sitting upright in the small bed, his back against the wall. The only sound he heard was Nico's breathing. He kept his gaze on Nico, whose chest was rising and falling as he slept. He had had a long day and finally got some much-needed sleep. Levi had slept only an hour or two, which was fine since he wasn't in the mood to sleep right then. He was still glossing over the events of the evening in his mind. It was a rough time for everyone. And that's putting it lightly. Levi had witnessed so much loss, so much death, so much grief in the past few months. At this point, it was just something all the doctors had to encounter. He kept thinking about his mom and how much he wished things were different between them. Life just, for lack of a better word, sucked. It sucked that so many people had to lose their life or lose the ones they loved. It sucked that Val never got to be with Luna. It sucked that DeLuca was injured. Everything sucked. Then Levi turned his attention back to the man lying in bed next to him, who was waking up. Nico rubbed his eyes and immediately turned over to check his phone for the time. A couple of hours of sleep did do him some good. He noticed the familiar silhouette of Levi, sitting with his back against the wall. Nico sat up in bed and scooted next to the other man.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hi," Nico said. His voice sounded small and quiet since he just woke up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hi," Levi responded, his voice just as quiet as Nico's.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This may be a stupid question, but, are you all right?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi shrugged his shoulders. "I guess."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>An awkward silence filled the air. Nico had never seen Levi so upset. And that hurt him. The way Levi had cried in his arms just a few hours earlier broke his heart. It was evident the effects of this pandemic were reaching their boiling point with him. Nico wanted to talk. But he wasn't sure what he'd say. No, that was a lie. He knew exactly what he'd say but he just didn't know </span>
  <em>
    <span>how</span>
  </em>
  <span> to say it. It was only after about five or six minutes of suffocating silence that Nico decided he would speak up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Levi," he spoke, not as quiet as before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hmm?" </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I wanted to talk about earlier. I know you may not want to, and if you don't, it's okay, I respect that."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi wasn't looking at him. He muttered, "It's fine", so Nico decided to keep going.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I understand what you're going through. Trust me."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi still wouldn't look at him. So, he tried again. This time he spoke words of comfort from his heart, not the generic apology he was sure Levi had heard a million times already.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Look at me," he put his index finger under Levi's chin and turned it so he was forced to look at Nico. "I know you're upset right now and I hear you, but I need you to hear me too," Nico then removed his finger from under Levi's chin, but Schmitt's eyes stayed glued on him. "The world is scary right now. People are getting sick and hurt and no one can seem to catch a break. I know that everything is falling apart and I know how upset this makes you. You are so compassionate and kind, Levi. All you ever do is help those in need. And I get it's the worst when all you want is to help, but you just </span>
  <em>
    <span>can't. </span>
  </em>
  <span>I know all of this because I've seen it firsthand. You go out of your way to make other people smile and make them laugh. You always crack jokes and I absolutely </span>
  <em>
    <span>love</span>
  </em>
  <span> that about you. But it's okay if you're not okay. You don't have to keep a smile on your face if you're hurting."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico wasn't raising his voice, but he spoke with emotion that Levi had never heard from him before. His eyes had started to swim with tears again, and as he did before, he let them fall. He never felt ashamed of his feelings with Nico. Nico brushed the tears away with his thumb.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I understand that it's frustrating not knowing when the world will go back to normal. But that's the thing. We won't. When this is all over, we <em>won't </em>go back to normal."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A few more tears rolled down Levi's cheeks. And again, Nico brushed them away. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"What I meant is that the world can't go back to the way it was. We have to just create a new normal, a new routine. We have to stop looking at the past and focus on the future. And it's not very easy to do that right now, but we'll get there."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico took his hand off of Levi's face and pressed a small kiss on his forehead. When he pulled away, Levi sniffled a bit. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hey," Nico said much softer this time. Levi looked at him, trying to read his mind. "I know it doesn't always seem like it, but I care about you Levi. I mean I <em>really</em> care about you. Don't ever hide how you feel from me, okay? I will always be right here."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi made a small noise that sounded like a hiccup. Nico smiled fondly and pulled Levi into his arms, his head resting on the latter's chest. Levi wasn't exactly crying anymore, just teary-eyed and very sniffly. The two lay like that for a while and Nico's mind only had one persistent thought. He loved Levi. And soon, he would say it. He would look into Levi's beautiful brown eyes and say "I love you". Levi pulled himself out of Nico's arms and sat up so he could face him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Thank you," Levi spoke quietly enough so only Nico would hear him. These words were only for Nico's ears. "Thank you for showing me you still care after all we've been through."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"How could I not care about someone like you, Levi? You're amazing."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi felt a blush creeping up the side of his face. He remembered the last time Nico had called him amazing. It was a long time ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We're gonna be all right," Nico wanted to say something else but was nervous. When he looked at Levi he decided to say it. "I promise we'll be okay baby."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi's hand sneaked up behind Nico's neck. He pulled Nico in and kissed him. There was something about this kiss that was different from the other times they've kissed during their "stress relief" sessions. This kiss was romantic, not rushed or sexy or intimate. It was longing. It was saying all the words they've left unsaid. This kiss said, "<em>I love you".</em> When they pulled apart they didn't pant and gasp for air. They felt like they just started breathing again. Like all this time, they've been apart and now they can breathe. They found themselves getting back under the covers. It hadn't hit him until he pulled the sheets over him and Nico that he was <em>really</em> tired. Nico pulled Levi by the waist so he'd be closer. Now they were facing each other, taking in every detail of the other's face. Nico noticed Levi's eyelids were barely open at this point and told him he should get some sleep. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I'll stay here with you if you want me to," Nico offered.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Levi nodded. "Just stay."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico nodded and let Levi map out where he'd fall asleep. Levi decided on snuggling close to Nico, his head nuzzled close to his neck and chest. Nico pressed a kiss into Levi's brown curls.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Goodnight."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Goodnight baby," Levi said, using the same word Nico did not five minutes ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Nico smiled fondly and chuckled. He heard Levi giggling. Nico pressed several more kisses onto Lev's head and was met with Levi peppering kisses on his neck and chest. It didn't take very long after that for Levi or Nico to fall asleep. They felt safe when they were together like this, legs entangled and bodies pressed against each other. They felt safe with <em>each other</em>.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>you can find me at <a href="https://schmico-shenanigans.tumblr.com/">schmico-shenanigans</a> on tumblr</p></blockquote></div></div>
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